145: Chapter 145 The war is temporarily suspended, and the Shangqing government tries to win them over once again!

...

Sword light tore through the sky.

Immortal Master Daoist Yun Du, Immortal Master Mountain Clearing, and three Golden Core Elders of the Shangqing Sect transformed into five streaks of startling light, boldly turning back to strike.

Inside the light screen of Tianxu Pass.

Five Demonic Path Golden Cores were frantically bombarding the Formation's core; of the thirty-six high towers, eight had already been extinguished...

"The Formation's breaking is right before us, put your backs into it!"

A demonic Cultivator with a face full of tattoos shouted a stern urge, his white bone spear continuously thrusting out with sonic booms.

Before his voice could fade, the transmission Jade Slip at his waist flashed frantically.

Probing with his Divine Sense, the tattooed demonic Cultivator's expression changed abruptly, turning a ghastly shade of green.

"A bunch of trash! Five against six, and they couldn't even stall for a moment."

He gnashed his teeth and cursed out loud.

The warship was destroyed, the Corpse King was heavily injured, and the ambush on the other side was a complete failure. This meant that the Golden Core Cultivators from the Wei State had already freed up their hands.

"Retreat!"

The tattooed demonic Cultivator made a prompt decision without any hesitation.

"Want to leave? Leave your lives behind!"

A roar of anger came from afar. The Shangqing Sect Elder arrived in an instant, his Azure Peak Sword transforming into a hundred-zhang Sword Qi that hacked down from above.

Immortal Master Daoist Yun Du pushed out with both palms. A sea of clouds churned, transforming into countless chains to block the path of retreat.

Immortal Master Mountain Clearing's green wood vines followed closely behind, coiling like pythons toward the last Golden Core demonic Cultivator.

The five demonic Cultivators had grim expressions, but they were not panicked.

The five of them had joined forces to attack the Formation, and they had naturally reserved some strength to guard against sudden situations.

The tattooed demonic Cultivator waved his large sleeve, throwing out dozens of fist-sized Blood-Colored Thunder Beads.

"Explode!"

The Blood-Colored Thunder Beads exploded with a bang, turning into an extremely thick blood-colored poisonous miasma that blocked both the Sword Qi and the sea of clouds.

Taking advantage of the poisonous miasma obstructing vision, the five demonic Cultivators turned into five streaks of blood light and fled into the distant demonic clouds without looking back.

The Shangqing Sect Elder broke through the poisonous miasma and looked at the receding blood lights with a cold expression, yet he did not order a pursuit...

Do not pursue a cornered foe.

Both sides had suffered losses in combat power. If they truly fought to the death, it would benefit no one.

The Astral Wind Layer beyond the heavens.

Heavenly Corpse Old Demon looked down at the mess below and snorted coldly.

"Fang Yi, consider yourself lucky."

"That variant Thunder Bear, this seat has taken note of it."

The White Bone Throne dissipated into thin air.

Nine-Headed Poison Lord said nothing, urging the nine-headed giant python to fade into the Void Realm.

True Monarch Fang Yi stood with his hands behind his back. His tense body finally relaxed, and a layer of fine cold sweat seeped from his forehead.

Fighting one against two, the pressure on him was far greater than it appeared on the surface.

"Woo—!"

The desolate sound of a horn echoed over the plains once more.

Only this time, it represented the retreat of the army.

The demonic clouds filling the sky began to roll back. The remaining Bronze Corpses and Iron Corpses retreated with heavy steps. Tens of thousands of demonic Cultivators receded like a tide, leaving only a field of broken corpses outside Tianxu Pass.

"They've retreated! The demonic Cultivators have retreated!"

On the city wall, someone was the first to shout.

Soon after, earth-shaking cheers erupted. Countless Qi Refining Cultivators slumped in pools of blood, both crying and laughing.

The first wave of offensive had been held.

...

Tianxu Pass, White Cloud Temple camp.

Shi Jian's massive body shrank once more to about ten feet in size. He staggered into the main tent, the thunder light on his body dimmed to the extreme.

His originally snow-white fur was covered in black poison spots and dried blood, looking somewhat wretched...

Daoist Yun Du and Immortal Master Mountain Clearing followed closely behind, their faces full of concern.

"Fellow Daoist Shi, thanks to you today, otherwise Tianxu Pass would have been in peril."

Daoist Yun Du bowed deeply, his tone revealing profound lingering fear.

Immortal Master Mountain Clearing also repeatedly cupped his hands: "Your Divine Might is truly admirable, this old man is impressed."

Shi Jian lay on the stone platform, listlessly lifting an eyelid.

"Cut the empty pleasantries."

His voice was weak, carrying heavy exhaustion:

"To help you this time, I've consumed too much of my Origin. Without a few years of quiet recuperation, I won't be able to recover."

"If you're so grateful, give me some high-grade Spiritual Materials or more Spirit Stones."

Hearing this, Daoist Yun Du did not hesitate. He directly pulled a Storage Pouch from his waist and placed it on the stone platform, completely unconcerned:

"There are twenty thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones inside, as well as the flesh and blood of several level 3 and 4 sea monsters. Use these for now, Fellow Daoist. If it's not enough, I'll go ask the Shangqing Sect for more."

"Alright, you two can head out now."

Shi Jian waved a paw, issuing an order for them to leave.

Seeing this, the two did not dare to disturb him further and exited the camp tent.

The moment the tent curtain fell.

Shi Jian slightly opened his eyes. Though his aura was unstable, he wasn't as utterly weak as he had just appeared; he had clearly reserved some strength.

He had stolen the spotlight in this battle; next, he just needed to keep a low profile.

With his deterrence from this battle, the demonic Cultivators would surely be extra cautious. It was just a pity that none of the ten Golden Core demonic Cultivators who attacked this time had perished.

Only that corpse-refining demonic Cultivator had been heavily injured by him, but it clearly wasn't fatal.

With a thought, Shi Jian sent a transmission to Elder Rat.

A moment later, the soil on the ground churned, and Elder Rat's hunched figure emerged.

"Old Ancestor!"

As soon as Elder Rat appeared, he knelt directly on the ground, trembling with excitement, light beaming from his narrow eyes.

"How was the harvest?" Shi Jian lowered his voice.

"We've struck it rich! Old Ancestor, we've struck it rich!"

Elder Rat rubbed his paws together, speaking incoherently: "Over a thousand Storage Pouches, all piled up in the underground tunnels! Also, the fragments of those demonic Cultivators' Magical Artifacts and the remains of the Bronze and Iron Corpses—everything usable has been dragged back!"

"Where are Shi Mo and Kuang Dou?"

"The two commanders also scavenged many good things on the battlefield and even found some Magic Treasure fragments just now."

Shi Jian nodded with satisfaction.

War was indeed the fastest way to amass wealth.

"Transport these resources back to Zixiao Peak in batches."

"Pick out the useful Spiritual Plants and Medicinal Pills to distribute to the youngsters below. Keep those demonic Cultivators' Cultivation Technique Jade Slips separate; I have a use for them."

"This servant understands!"

Elder Rat kowtowed heavily. Just as he was about to retreat back underground, there was a sudden movement outside the tent.

"Chen Yuan of the Shangqing Sect seeks an audience with Fellow Daoist Shi."

Shi Jian gave Elder Rat a look, and Elder Rat immediately burrowed back underground.

Shi Jian lay back down, concealing his aura and putting on a listless, dispirited front.

"Enter."

The tent curtain was lifted, and Elder Chen strode in.

Elder Chen was one of the three Golden Cores from the Shangqing Sect during the great battle just now. He had the strongest combat power and was the main person in charge of coordinating Tianxu Pass.

His gaze swept over Shi Jian, and he was secretly shocked.

This bear Yao had been besieged by multiple Golden Cores, yet he only had superficial wounds, and even his aura hadn't dropped much. The toughness of his Physical Body was simply inconceivable.

"Fellow Daoist Shi, in today's battle, you have displayed the might of our Wei State."

Elder Chen said with a face full of smiles as he walked forward and took out an exquisite jade box.

"This is my Shangqing Sect's specially refined 'Third-Grade Jade Bone Pill.' It has miraculous effects on the Yao Race's body tempering and blood-qi recovery. I have specifically come to gift it to you, Fellow Daoist."

Shi Jian's nose twitched as he caught the fragrance of the pill.

He wasn't polite either, extending a large paw to pull the jade box directly in front of him, swallowing it in one go to begin refining the medicinal effects.

"Elder is too kind. Elder, is there something you've come for?"

Shi Jian's tone was honest and simple, carrying a sense of bluntness that seemed ignorant of worldly ways.

Seeing this, Elder Chen was instead delighted.

This kind of Spirit Beast with low intelligence who acted only on likes and dislikes was the easiest to fool.

"Fellow Daoist's Divine Ability is startling. A small place like White Cloud Temple is likely unable to support a great Yao like you, isn't it?"

Shi Jian only smiled and said bluntly: "What Divine Ability? It's nothing more than having a bit more strength and a sturdier build."

"Old Daoist Yun treats me well. To contribute to White Cloud Temple, what talk is there of support? We are all friends pursuing the Great Dao together, so why talk about interests?"

Shi Jian laughed it off, acting like a peerlessly good bear.

Elder Chen smiled and lowered his voice: "Fellow Daoist is too modest. While the original intention of pursuing the Dao is good, without resources to help, how can one reach the next level?"

"If you are willing to come to my Shangqing Sect, our sect is willing to treat you with the etiquette of a Sect-Protecting Spirit Beast. Whatever resources White Cloud Temple gives you, my Shangqing Sect will give you tenfold!"

"Fellow Daoist, what do you think?"

Hah, trying to poach from right under my nose.

Shi Jian sneered inwardly, but on his face, he put on a somewhat moved expression:

"Elder, don't talk nonsense. Tenfold? Are you sure?"

"Naturally, I am sure!" Elder Chen said confidently.

"Then let me consider it."

Shi Jian closed his eyes, looking weak, and ignored him further.

Seeing Shi Jian's weak aura, Elder Chen nodded slightly. Seeing that his goal was achieved, he did not stay any longer and cupped his hands to take his leave.

Once he was far away, Shi Jian opened his eyes and gave a cold snort.

Tenfold resources?

Wait until your Shangqing Sect survives this national war first. Besides, joining the Shangqing Sect has always involved numerous rules and would even have Restrictions to bind one.

He was unwilling to be imprisoned and truly become a human's lapdog.

...